Kokilai Lagoon Sanctuary (කෝකිලායි අභය භූමිය)

54 years ago1 month ago03 mins

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Birds of Kokilai Santuary — Birds of Kokilai Sanctuary

Size	2,995 ha (7,401 acres)
Main attractions	forested wetlands which include mangrove swamps – migratory and local water birds

Kokilai Lagoon lies about 60 kilometres from Trincomalee and 30 kilometres from the Mullativu on the eastern coast of Sri Lanka.

Kokkilai Lagoon is partly surrounded by mangrove swamps and seagrass beds. The surrounding area includes cultivated land, scrub and open forests. Numerous varieties of water and water birds are found in the sanctuary including cormorants, ducks, egrets, flamingoes, herons, ibis, pelicans and storks. The sanctuary is a haven for birds migrating along Sri Lanka’s east coast. Elephants are also found in the sanctuary.

The Kokilai Lagoon and the surrounding 2,995 ha (7,401 acres) were declared as sanctuary in 1951. The sanctuary was flourishing until the Tamil Tiger terrorists declared war on the government in the 1980s when the government lost control of the area.

In 2009 the terrorists were defeated and civilian life came back to normal. But in 2010 with the support of the local government bodies, about 1000 ha had been cleared of this sanctuary reducing the size of the sanctuary to 1,995 ha (4,930 acres). It was reported that 2000-3000 weaver bird nests and an uncounted number of 176 migrant and resident bird nesting sites have been unmercifully destroyed.

Drive from Trincomalee to the Kokilai Lagoon will take approximately 1.5 hours. The roads are freshly carpeted and all the damaged brides have been re-constructed. There are very few vehicles travelling on these roads thus driving is relaxing and enjoyable. From Pulmude you need to leave the main Pulmude road and move towards the coast through by roads to reach the fishing village.

On the way to Pulmode (Kokilai Santuary)

close to Pulmode on the way to Kokilai Santuary

Over the Kokilai Lagoon at Kokilai Fishing Point Over the Kokilai Lagoon at Kokilai Fishing Point

Over the Kokilai Lagoon at Kokilai Fishing Point

Also See

Map of Kokilai Lagoon Sanctuary

Please click on the button below to load the Dynamic Google Map (ගූගල් සිතියම් පහලින්)

Show Location (ගූගල් සිතියම)

The map above also shows other places of interest within a approximately 20 km radius of the current site. Click on any of the markers and the info box to take you to information of these sites

Zoom out the map to see more surrounding locations using the mouse scroll wheel or map controls.

Travel Directions to Kokilai Lagoon Sanctuary

Route from Colombo to Kokilai Lagoon Sanctuary

Through : Nilaveli – Kuchchaveli – Thiriyaya – Pulmude
Distance : 61 km
Travel time : 1.5 hours
Driving directions : see on google map

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Also See

Map of Kokilai Lagoon Sanctuary

Travel Directions to Kokilai Lagoon Sanctuary

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